WHOOSH!
As the silver blades filled with concentrated silver flames started to break down one by one, and feeling the powerful pressure from behind her, Bai Xinyue didn't panic.
Instead, a silver longsword suddenly appeared in her right hand, created from her Grandmist spiritual energy; however, this time it wasn't filled with any sort of silver flames—it was just a simple sword.
However, it was this sword that made Huang Shi's pupils constrict. For the past few days, Bai Xinyue had exclusively chosen to fight him with the exact same tools and techniques that he used; this was to make sure that he knew how to properly use his current arsenal of weapons to the fullest, especially using his new calamity lightning in actual combat.
Of course, Huang Shi was never satisfied with just this. He knew that even though Bai Xinyue liked using her opponents' techniques against them, if she found a target that she truly felt was threatening enough, she would stop copying them and instead use her main method of attack—her sword!
That is because, from what Huang Shi had learned about Bai Xinyue, she was actually a sword cultivator!
This means the fact that Bai Xinyue actually used her sword against him was a sign that he was finally able to threaten her for the first time in the past few days, although "threat" was relative since she was only using cultivation at the 3rd level of the Nascent Profound Realm, equivalent to his own cultivation.
Still, that's an achievement! Who knows what kind of enemies this woman has faced that forced her to use her sword arts!
WHOOSH!
Huang Shi's thoughts were sliced clean through as Bai Xinyue's right hand moved with a fluid, terrifying speed. She swept her longsword in a wide, elegant half-moon arc around her body, the movement so precise it seemed to leave a trail the air.
A blinding wave of silvery-white sword light erupted from the blade's edge, expanding in an intimidating display of pure, refined power.
[Heavenly Silver Sword Art – Silver Crescent Slash]
In a heartbeat, the tactical advantages Huang Shi had fought so hard to build evaporated like a shallow illusion. The twenty golden swords of his formation, which had been closing in from every angle with murderous momentum, were met by the expanding crescent of light.
As if they were made of nothing more than thin parchment, every single one of his blades was split perfectly in half, their structures shattering into useless sparks of fading Qi.
The silver arc didn't stop there. The fist that Huang Shi had been barreling straight toward her exposed back was forced to a dead halt. The silver sword light possessed a sharp, overriding intent that bypassed the natural defenses of his [Calamity Lightning Sunfyre Body] as if they didn't exist.
The cold energy bit deep into his skin, causing crimson blood to seep from his knuckles and forearm even before the kinetic force hit. Then, the true impact arrived—a massive, deafening explosion of clashing energies occurred at the point of contact.
BOOM!
Huang Shi slammed into the ground like a meteor, carving a deep trench in the dirt. His back throbbed with pain, and he couldn't stop himself from spitting out a mouthful of blood. His face was twisted in a pained grimace, but he was actually smiling with pure joy.
YES! I finally made her use her damn sword!
Bai Xinyue stood nearby, looking as calm and perfect as a statue. To Huang Shi, she looked totally fine. But on the inside, she was shaken. The force of his last attack had actually hurt her. A tiny bit of blood leaked from her lip, but she used her Grandmist energy to heal it instantly before he could notice.
This guy is basically a natural at fighting. I just have to inch him towards a certain direction and he instantly figures it out. If he has enough time to grow, one of these days he may actually be able to stand by my side…
Bai Xinyue didn't know why, but this thought suddenly made her heart beat a bit faster before it was instantly returned to a state of calm. These strange emotions that had been budding inside of her over the past few days had become a common enough occurrence that she no longer bothered holding them back.
In fact, after the same thing occurred over and over again in Huang Shi's presence, she had gradually figured out what kind of emotions she was experiencing; after all, she was not stupid.
Despite this realization, she decided to let nature take its course. Emotions and attachments were useless in the face of absolute power; if she and Huang Shi wanted to pursue a relationship, they needed to stand as equals, otherwise it would be pointless.
Seeing that Bai Xinyue had chosen to remain silent, Huang Shi stood back up. He wore an arrogant smile, which quickly turned into a smirk as he spoke.
"Hehe, it seems Her Royal Highness can also suffer a loss. Aigh, I remember you saying that if I managed to make you draw your sword, you would give me a gift. I wonder what it is?"
Hearing those words made Bai Xinyue's lip twitch. She did remember saying something along those lines in the past, though she hadn't thought much of it at the time.
After all, there was a vast difference between being talented in cultivation and being talented in fighting. If you were only gifted in cultivation, all you could really do was use your superior power to bully those weaker than you. However, if you were also a natural at fighting—able to challenge those with much higher cultivation—then you would truly be considered a heaven-defying genius.
Bai Xinyue rolled her eyes at his antics, pausing for a few moments as she reached into her spatial ring. When she raised her hand, a small, round pill sat in the center of her palm. It was the deep, rich color of amber, so translucent and clear that it shone like a polished gemstone under the sunlight.
The moment it was exposed to the air, the pill began to pulse with a thick, visible aura. It gave off a heavy, powerful pressure of spiritual energy that made the air around her hand vibrate, smelling faintly of old pine and concentrated medicinal aura.